Inmate Dies Suddenly Inside Sonoma County Jail Cell

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Authorities are investigating the death of a man being held at the Sonoma County jail in Santa Rosa.

Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies at the jail found the man Tuesday night at about 10:15 p.m. in his cell during a routine inmate check, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

He was pronounced dead at 10:49 p.m. despite attempts by paramedics to resuscitate him.

Sheriff's officials said the man had been in custody since September 2024 while awaiting trial on four arson charges.

In accordance with the County-Wide-in-custody death protocol, the Marin County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office is conducting an independent death investigation to determine the manner and cause of death. The agency will release the man's identity after notifying his family.

The death marks the first inmate death reported at the Sonoma County jail since 2024.

One of the jail's previous in-custody deaths led to an ongoing lawsuit against Sonoma County.

In that case, 28-year-old Skyler Rasmussen, who was awaiting trial in a Santa Rosa homicide case, died after deputies found him unresponsive in his cell, the Press Democrat reported.

As routine with in-custody deaths under county protocol, an outside law enforcement agency handled that investigation.